At this time of year people in England, as elsewhere, focus on preparation for Christmas. There is much to do: choosing and wrapping gifts, planning the big feast on Christmas Day and, of course, the rituals of decorating our homes in celebration of the season.
For me, arranging the Christmas tree is an annual trip down memory lane. Every bauble has its own story which it re-tells as it is hung in its place: memories of holidays; of loved ones, some of whom are no longer with us; of the special events; of the way things used to be.
There is the big red star we got in the Quincy Market in Boston, the crystal angel from New York, the cute little girl on the toboggan from Ireland, the grotesque little Yule Lads from Iceland. It has been our habit to collect souvenir Christmas baubles whenever we take a holiday, and now they make a treasure trove of happy memories.
Little figures made of beads—Angels for Africa—made by a self-help group of ladies in Africa and sent one by one over the years by friends in Germany are dotted around our tree as are other gifts from friends: tiny musical instruments made of brass, a little snow storm scene, small wooden roundels with seasonal greetings.
There are little wooden lettered cubes chosen when our children were learning to read, little red wooden apples acquired whilst they were toddlers and special baubles chosen by them as they were growing up, and by us too.
As children we would help our parents to decorate the trees. Great care was called for; in those days the baubles were made of glass, and very fragile. Expensive, too—we didn’t have many. Yet a few survive: a little silvery bell that actually rings, a spiky clear glass star, and a glittery teardrop-shape with a coloured motif on the front.
Filling a tree needed more than these. I have memories of helping my mother to make little umbrellas out of pipe cleaners, crepe paper and cotton. Very affordable, very satisfying, and very effective. Sadly, none of those survive, but we do have a collection of little Christmas parcels made of foil paper and ribbon: very simple, very durable,very cheap. They still go on the tree, even though we can easily afford much fancier ornaments now. They remind is of the times when we were not so well-off, and that our plight of yesteryear is that of many folk right now.
The memories evoked in adorning our tree echo back to childhood, through good years and bad, recalling joy as well as sadness, and remind us to be grateful for the lives we have enjoyed.
Perhaps that is partly what Christmas is all about; reflecting on our lives and our place in the world, and on our interactions with our fellow men.
With that in mind, we send best wishes to all for a happy and peaceful Christmas and, of course, a prosperous New Year.
